NORTH Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club sealed their promotion back into the ‘champions league’ of swimming in the west of Scotland claiming a place in the Clyde Coast Mini League final next month.

Swimmers from the Garnock Valley and Three Towns made up half of the squad, with Mini League veteran Fraser Cowie from Dalry forming a cornerstone of the boys’ team and securing dozens of points with his individual and relay swims over the weekend.

The achievement was all the more impressive because fixture congestion forced the team to swim the two remaining ties of the group stages over the same weekend, with added spice coming from draws against neighbouring clubs from Inverclyde and Kilmarnock.

A strong second-place finish behind Inverclyde on the Saturday (beating Kintyre and Rutherglen) was followed up with a nail-biting victory over Milngavie & Bearsden, Kilmarnock and Dumfries at the Galleon Centre on Sunday.

Their two wins and a second place in the group stage guarantee North Ayrshire a top six finish and a place in the A final at the Citadel in Ayr in June, although their ultimate position in the league table will have to wait until the last of the Round Three ties have been swum.

Junior coach Alan Dickson said: “I’m delighted, it was a fantastic result. “To be honest I always thought we had a chance of sneaking first, but I knew it was going to be close between us and Milngavie and Bearsden and I’m so pleased that me managed to see it out."

Milngavie & Bearsden were ahead by 10 points at the halfway stage but the North Ayrshire squad, who were swimming for the second afternoon in a row, dug deep in the relays to edge ahead.

The final total put North Ayrshire seven points clear on 154 points to M&B’s 147 with the other teams around 50 points behind.

Stewart Reid, who swims in the NAASC Development Squad, made his debut in the competition with only a few hours notice, having been called in as a substitute for the crucial final round late on the Saturday evening.

They were part of a large contingent from the town which also included brother and sister James and Kate Stuart as well as their namesake, Heather Stuart, Ruby McGill, and another sibling pair in Arron and Jude Friels.

Aiden Buttle and Anna Hay were representing Kilbirnie, while Ella Bruce and Emily McGuire from Saltcoats joined the line-up.

Caelin Chan from Stevenston was celebrating her 10th birthday at the Galleon, and along with younger sister Evie formed a key part of the girls’ squad, earning a healthy share of points between them.

Added Alan: “All the girls swam exceptionally well and the boys did the best they could, but we don’t have the depth in their side of the squad. The younger girls fed off the success of the older girls and you could see some of them really stepping up and getting the idea of racing hard and I can put that down to them taking inspiration from the girls who swam so hard on Saturday. So, in the end I think having the two rounds back-to-back has done us a favour.”

“Making the A final was the aim at the start of the campaign and we’ll see how high up we can finish at the Citadel."